Alone in Canada — Setting personal goals

“I have two years to learn English and to get a job. I don’t care what kind of a job. I need the money to sponsor my two daughters here. Life in Canada will be better for them than in my country. They are still young.”
Luka, from Georgia

Setting goals can help you to to stay motivated when you run into problems in your new life. A list of goals can remind you why you came to this country, what you hope to achieve here and when you expect to achieve each goal. Goals can help you to set the direction for your life and to track how well you are doing.

It is a good idea to think about your goals. You are more likely to achieve the goals if they are:

Specific – be clear about what it is you want to achieve.
Prioritized – you may have many goals, but you need to think about the most important ones. Put these at the top of your list and focus on them first.
Time limited – set deadlines for your main goals and the steps needed to achieve each goal. For example, “One, three or five years from now I want to…”. Without the time limit, your goal may just be a daydream.
Measurable – think about how you will know when you have achieved your goal.
Important – your goal must be important to you. It must be so important that you are willing to put in the effort needed to achieve it.
Realistic – think about the obstacles that may prevent you from achieving your goal. Plan for ways that you can deal with these.
Rewarding – think about how you will reward yourself when you have achieved your goal.

Exercise

In the spaces below, list some of your short-, medium- and long-term goals.

1. My short-term goals (for the next few weeks or months) are to:

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If I achieve them, I will reward myself by:

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2. My medium-term goals (a year from now) are to:

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If I achieve them, I will reward myself by:

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3. My long-term goals (three years from now) are to:

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In Alone in Canada

Alone in Canada — Setting personal goals

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